Sergeant Kenneth Herman Clarkson
Survivor of WW2
Date of Death:
Service Biography
Kenneth Herman Clarkson was born at Lacolle, Quebec, on 15 February 1918. A stenographer and typist, he enlisted in the Canadian Army on 26 July 1940 and served with the Royal Rifles of Canada. He was captured at Hong Kong on 25 December 1941 and spent about 44½ months as a Japanese prisoner of war in Hong Kong and Japan. Liberated in 1945, he returned to Canada after repatriation and was discharged on 15 February 1946. He died on 21 February 1976.
General Information
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
E-29901
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Canadian Army
Regiment:
Royal Rifles of Canada
Battalion:
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Lacolle, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
22 years 5 months
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
28 years
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
58 years
Country Born:
Trade or Calling:
Stenographer and typist
Next of Kin:
Annie Maria Cookman Clarkson, mother, Lacolle, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
Lacolle, Quebec
Religion:
United Church of Canada
Place of Enlistment:
Windsor Mills, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
Yes
Height:
5 ft 10.5 in / 179 cm
Weight:
130 lbs / 59 kg
Chest:
34.5 in / 88 cm
Expansion:
3.0 in / 8 cm
Marital Status:
Single
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Pacific
Place of Discharge:
Quebec, Quebec
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Battle Died/Wounded:
Length of Service:
2030 days in service
Buried at:
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Sergeant |
Royal Rifles of Canada |
Canadian Army |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Corporal |
Royal Rifles of Canada |
Canadian Army |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Acting Corporal |
Royal Rifles of Canada |
Canadian Army |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Acting Lance Corporal |
Royal Rifles of Canada |
Canadian Army |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Rifleman |
Royal Rifles of Canada |
Canadian Army |
|
|
|
|
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
War Service Badge, General Service Class |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Hong Kong Bar |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
1939-45 Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Pacific Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939-45 |
|
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1940-07-26 — Enlisted at Windsor Mills, Quebec, as a Rifleman in the Royal Rifles of Canada (Windsor Mills, Quebec / Royal Rifles of Canada).
1940-09-01 — Appointed Acting Lance Corporal in the Royal Rifles of Canada.
1941-01-27 — Appointed Acting Corporal in the Royal Rifles of Canada.
1941-04-03 — Confirmed/promoted Corporal in the Royal Rifles of Canada.
1941-05-01 — Promoted to Sergeant in the Royal Rifles of Canada.
1941-10-27 — Embarked from Canada for overseas service with the Royal Rifles of Canada (Canada / Royal Rifles of Canada).
1941-12-25 — Captured at Hong Kong while serving with the Royal Rifles of Canada (Hong Kong / Royal Rifles of Canada).
1941-12-25 — Interned at North Point, Hong Kong; his later sworn affidavit describes inadequate food and medical care and camp labour during captivity.
1942 — Transferred to Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong; his sworn affidavit describes work parties, repeated illness, weight loss, harsh treatment and collective punishment.
1942-10 — His mother advised the Army that she would be away from Lacolle indefinitely and requested that POW news be sent to his sister Louise C. Clarkson, R.N., at Montreal General Hospital (Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec).
1942-10-22 — Official information from Tokyo via the International Red Cross confirmed that he was a prisoner of war at Hong Kong Camp.
1943 — While a prisoner of war in Japan, suffered dengue fever and hemorrhaging as well as chronic diarrhea/dysentery.
1943-01 — Later POW correspondence reported that he had arrived at Yokohama in January and was working while a prisoner (Yokohama, Japan).
1943-07-23 — Canadian authorities notified his next of kin that official information reported his transfer from Hong Kong to Tokyo Camp in Japan (Hong Kong / Tokyo Camp, Japan).
1943-12-18 — A POW message reported that he was working, receiving parcels and mail, and asked after family and friends at home (Tokyo Camp, Japan).
1944-06-08 — A POW message reassured his mother that he was well, thanked her for parcels, and sent greetings to relatives and friends around Lacolle (Tokyo Camp, Japan).
1945-05-12 — Interned at Tokyo Main Camp in Japan (Tokyo Main Camp, Japan).
1945-05-13 — Transferred to Sendai No. 1-B prisoner-of-war camp in Japan (Sendai No. 1-B, Japan).
1945-09-09 — Officially reported safe in Allied hands following liberation from Japanese captivity.
1945-09-14 — Admitted to U.S. Fleet Hospital No. 111 during repatriation; diagnosed with amebiasis after prolonged diarrhea and severe wartime weight loss.
1945-09-15 — Canadian authorities telegraphed his next of kin that he was safe with the Allies and in good health (Canada / Allied hands).
1945-09-15 — Received a US$10 repatriation advance while at Guam after liberation.
1945-09-18 — Received a further US$5 repatriation advance while at Guam.
1945-10-01 — Discharged from U.S. Fleet Hospital No. 111 fit to continue travel home.
1945-10-01 — Officially reported safe in Guam and awaiting transportation to Canada.
1945-10-08 — Arrived at San Francisco, California, during repatriation from Japanese captivity; repatriation paperwork also records a US$10 advance there.
1945-10-11 — Returned to Canada after repatriation from Japanese captivity and was admitted to No. 1 Conditioning Centre at Gordon Head, British Columbia (Canada / No. 1 Conditioning Centre, Gordon Head, British Columbia).
1945-10-11 — Expected to arrive at Gordon Head, British Columbia, for post-POW conditioning after repatriation.
1945-10-14 — Discharged from No. 1 Conditioning Centre at Gordon Head, British Columbia (No. 1 Conditioning Centre, Gordon Head, British Columbia).
1945-10-31 — Admitted to Montreal Military Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, for post-POW investigation; history included recurrent diarrhea, dengue fever, right pneumothorax, mumps and slight hearing difficulty (Montreal Military Hospital, Montreal, Quebec).
1945-11-01 — Discharged from Montreal Military Hospital, Montreal, Quebec; the hospital record states no appreciable medical disease.
1945-12-04 — At Quebec Military Hospital, diagnosed with POW malnutrition and recommended one month of sick leave (Quebec Military Hospital, Quebec, Quebec).
1946-01-11 — Underwent a Medical Board examination at Lauzon, Quebec, reviewing his post-POW medical condition before release (Lauzon, Quebec / Medical Board).
1946-02-14 — Medical Board proceedings were completed and approved, supporting release from service.
1946-02-15 — Discharged at Quebec, Quebec, on demobilization and returned to civil life.
1946-02-15 — Trades qualification at No. 5 District Depot certified approximately 60 months as a Clerk, Group C, with civilian equivalent office clerk.
1946-02-15 — Demobilization records calculated a War Service Gratuity of $1,068.76 based on Canadian and qualifying overseas service (No. 5 District Depot).
1947-07 — Corresponded from P.O. Box 10, Lacoille [Lacolle], Quebec, regarding a claim for personal effects and currency lost during Japanese captivity.
1947-08-14 — Treasury issued reimbursement of $171.08 for personal effects and currency lost during captivity (Ottawa, Ontario).
1949-04-20 — Canadian pay authorities documented his entitlement to an $87.90 Japanese Campaign Pay adjustment arising from Hong Kong service (Ottawa, Ontario).
1952-01 — Corresponded with Canadian authorities from Berkeley, California, about an allowance connected with his Hong Kong prisoner-of-war service.
1954-09-04 — Reported a move from Richmond to Cupertino, California, and requested that his Canadian campaign medals be sent to him.
1976-02-21 — Died; the Department of Veterans Affairs recorded his death on 21 February 1976 (Not stated).
Notes
Before enlistment Clarkson was a stenographer and typist. He had completed 10th Grade at Huntingdon Academy after 11 years of schooling, then attended International Business College in Montreal for one year and earned accounting and secretarial diplomas. He spoke English and French. His 1940 medical recorded height 5 ft 10½ in, weight 130 lb, chest 34½ in with 3 in expansion, fair complexion, brown eyes and dark hair; vision was 20/70 right and 20/30 left and he was assessed underweight. During captivity he suffered prolonged diarrhea/dysentery and malnutrition; a U.S. Fleet Hospital record in September 1945 diagnosed amebiasis, noting periodic diarrhea for about three years, dengue fever and hemorrhaging in 1943, and a capture weight of about 162 lb falling to about 130 lb on release. Postwar correspondence shows that by January 1952 he was living at 1402 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California, and by September 1954 at 10,279 Judy Avenue, Cupertino, California. In 1954 he asked the Canadian government to send his campaign medals. In July 1947 he was corresponding from P.O. Box 10, Lacoille [Lacolle], Quebec. That year he filed a claim for personal effects and currency lost during Japanese captivity; Treasury records show reimbursement of $171.08. During his captivity his sister Louise C. Clarkson was a registered nurse at the Montreal General Hospital, Private Patients Pavilion, Western Division. In September-October 1942 she asked military authorities to send news of Kenneth directly to her while their mother was away from home for an indefinite period, so that she could relay it personally. Louise Clarkson's wartime correspondence also records that she had spoken with many relatives of other Hong Kong prisoners and encouraged them during the long periods without news, extending her involvement beyond acting as Kenneth's alternate family contact. Department of Veterans Affairs recorded his death on 21 February 1976. Postwar records also show that he received Japanese Campaign Pay connected with his Hong Kong service; a 1949 adjustment records $87.90 additional pay. Post-repatriation medical history at Montreal Military Hospital records recurrent diarrhea from 1942-45, becoming more severe in August 1945; a history of dengue fever, right pneumothorax in December 1943, and mumps in summer 1944; slight hearing difficulty; and no appreciable medical disease on discharge from the Montreal hospital on 1 November 1945. The medical records contain differing dates/details for some illnesses, which are preserved rather than reconciled. A January 1946 Medical Board documented continuing post-POW nervous/anxiety symptoms and slight hearing difficulty. Specialist examinations did not identify a major surgical disability, and the Board recommended his release from service. At enlistment he was partially supporting his widowed mother, Annie Maria Clarkson, with $30 per month because she could not fully support herself. He carried life insurance with Manufacturers Life Insurance. His discharge trades qualification certified approximately 60 months' employment as a Clerk, Group C, with an approximate civilian equivalent of office clerk. In a postwar sworn affidavit, Clarkson described his captivity in first-person terms: detention at North Point and Sham Shui Po, camp work parties, inadequate food and medical care, repeated illness and severe weight loss, and later forced labour in Japan, including mine-related work. He also described harsh treatment and collective punishment of prisoners. His demobilization records calculated a War Service Gratuity of $1,068.76. The accompanying Certificate of Overseas Service records overseas service from 27 October 1941 to 12 October 1945. Repatriation paperwork records small cash advances after liberation—US$10 at Guam on 15 September 1945, US$5 at Guam on 18 September, and US$10 at San Francisco on 8 October—and states that he had received no pay from the enemy power. Wartime POW messages provide unusually personal evidence of his captivity and family ties. In messages received in 1943-44 he repeatedly reassured his mother that he was well, asked after relatives and friends around Lacolle, and sent greetings home. A December 1943 message said he had arrived at Yokohama in January, was working, received parcels and mail, and hoped for more letters; another message specifically asked that his grandmother send him salt from Huntingdon. In October 1942 his mother advised the Army that she expected to be away from home for an indefinite period and asked that information about Kenneth be sent to his sister, Louise C. Clarkson, R.N., at the Montreal General Hospital Private Patients Pavilion. This helps explain Louise's later wartime correspondence with military authorities. His Army awards card also contains a handwritten notation, 'H.K. Bar — issued 11/42,' with a later 27 September 1954 notation, in addition to the four campaign medals and War Service Badge recorded on the card. Pass 24 correction: the handwritten P150 notation 'H.K. Bar — issued 11/42' is not interpreted literally as a 1942 issue date. The Hong Kong Bar did not exist then; 11/42 is retained as evidence associated with his qualification/service, while the later 27-9-54 notation is preserved separately.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
POW in Tokyo after Hong Kong
Born 26 years before 1944
Kenneth Herman Clarkson BIRTH 15 FEB 1918 • Lacolle, Quebec, Canada DEATH 22 FEB 1976 • Lodi, California
Request confirmation number EA2026_0174238
Additional Service Notes
Enlisted in the Canadian Active Service Force on 26 July 1940 with the Royal Rifles of Canada. He progressed from Rifleman through Acting Lance Corporal, Acting Corporal and Corporal, and was promoted Sergeant effective 1 May 1941. He deployed with the regiment to Hong Kong, where he was captured on 25 December 1941. He remained a Japanese prisoner of war for about 44½ months, including North Point and Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong and later camps in Japan. Liberated in 1945, he was repatriated through Guam and the United States, returned to Canada in October 1945, underwent post-POW medical treatment and rehabilitation, and was discharged on demobilization on 15 February 1946. Canadian authorities notified his next of kin on 23 July 1943 that official information from Tokyo, received through the International Red Cross, reported his transfer from Hong Kong to a prisoner-of-war camp in Japan/Tokyo. His repatriation route is documented through Guam, where he was safe awaiting transportation on 1 October 1945, to San Francisco on 8 October and Gordon Head, British Columbia, on 11 October.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
At enlistment his next of kin was his mother, Annie Maria Cookman Clarkson of Lacolle, Quebec. His father was deceased by July 1940. He was single and had no children. He contributed $30 per month toward his widowed mother's support before enlistment.
Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-10-02 03:02:53
by: marc
